Partnerships and Participation of Community Residents in Health Promotion and Prevention: Experiences of the Highfield Community Enrichment Project (Better Beginnings, Better Futures)

Abstract

We provide a description and analysis of the role of partnerships between community residents and service-providers in planning and implementing a health promotion/prevention programme for children and families. The context for this study is the Highfield Community Enrichment Project, a multi-component, community-based promotion/prevention project operating in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The nature and amount of resident participation in this project are described, as well as barriers to resident participation and strategies to reduce those barriers. The findings are interpreted in terms of empowerment and partnership theory, and the implications of these findings for involving citizens from low-income communities in planning promotion/prevention programmes are discussed.